


Panic Station

by satanic_horsemen



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 23:11:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8421058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satanic_horsemen/pseuds/satanic_horsemen
Summary: Thomas and his friends decide to celebrate Halloween together, but it didn't quite turn out the way they had expected...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thomasmulli](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=thomasmulli).



> Here I am again, with a brand-new one-shot. I hope you like it. 
> 
> I wrote this for thomasmulli, because she always manages to make me smile and she's an amazing person.

 

He opened his eyes as the morning sun peeked through his curtains. He smirked, he had been looking forward to this particular day all year. The day in which he could really shine bright as he had always wanted to. This day was his, and no one could take it away from him.

He stood up from his bed and glanced at his alarm clock. _09:06 a.m_., it read. Last night, he could barely sleep because of his excitement. He wasn't tired at all, however. He was full of energy and had no idea how to express it properly. For a moment, he had the feeling that he could run an entire marathon with the energy he had, but he knew he had to spend it on more important matters. Well, on actually the one thing that was important this day.

He unlocked his phone and checked whether he had been sent any messages, which turned out to be true. He had received one from his best friend, Manuel.

 **Manu is nutella obsessed¿** : please don't be mad, thomy, but I have to skip halloween this year

He stared at his phone, mouth opened in shock. Manuel couldn't just do this. He couldn't bail on him on Halloween. It was something they had in common, they both loved Halloween. It was their favourite holiday.

 **Thomas <3horses**: you're jk right

He didn't want to wait for Manu to respond, but yet it seemed like eternity until he received another message.

 **Manu is nutella obsessed¿** : I'm sorry dude, I'm not joking

All the energy, all the excitement he had felt just minutes ago, it was all gone. What would this special day be if he couldn't even celebrate it with his best friend? He debated whether he should respond. He was really mad at him and he wanted to ignore him to show his anger and disappointment. Deep inside, however, he needed an explanation.

 **Thomas <3horses**: at least give me an explanation

Only a few seconds later, Manu responded again. Thomas first didn't want to look at his phone but couldn't resist the temptation.

 **Manu is nutella obsessed¿** : I'm sick

Thomas almost began to laugh. That was one of the lamest explanations he had ever heard. He knew for sure that he was lying. What if he didn't want to spend time with him, or what if--

His thoughts were interrupted by a notification. He looked at the bright - perhaps too bright for this early hour - screen.

 **Manu is nutella obsessed¿** : you're mad, aren't you?

Thomas decided not to answer that question, because, to be quite honest, he didn't know whether he was mad or not. Of course, he didn't want Manu to skip Halloween, but how could he possibly be mad at the person for whom he cared the most?

 **Thomas <3horses**: are you still angry after last year¿

He still remember last Halloween as if it happened yesterday. The two of them were at a party with lots of their other friends, who had no idea what was going on. Well, except one. His name was Christoph Kramer, a boy who had been staring at Manu the entire evening. Thomas noticed it, and he also noticed that in the past few months, Manu hadn't done anything to 'relax'.

"Manu," he had said. The latter had looked up and murmured a quick: "what".

Thomas smirked internally seeing his best friend like this. Not because Manu wasn't feeling all that happy - no, Thomas didn't like that - but he was content because he knew exactly how to cure it. "Chris has been staring at you all night. You should go up to him." He paused for a moment, waiting for Manu to respond, which he didn't. He was so oblivious. "Maybe he can give you what you want." He winked, well, made an attempt to wink thanks to all the alcohol that had gotten into his system.

Manuel first didn't respond, his mouth opened in shock, figuratively speaking. When Thomas saw this, he knew that he had crossed the line. Manuel would always laugh or shrug it off when Thomas made a dumb comment. But he had never been silent. It was a bad sign, Thomas knew it was.

He could basically see Manu's face redden in fury. But that wasn't the only emotion showing, embarrassment as well. Why on earth would Manu be embarrassed about that? "Are you fucking insane?" Manu lowered his voice, hoping that no one would hear his rage.

Thomas' smile, which was still plastered on his face, had fully vanished by now. He was just trying to help, he just wanted Manu to be happy. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice scarcely above a whisper.

Manuel didn't even respond. That was what frustrated Thomas the most: he didn't respond and the latter still didn't know the reason for his sudden anger.

Manuel left shortly after that, ignoring an unstrung Thomas the short time he was still there.

Things went to normal steadily after that, but Thomas knew that Manu still held a grudge against him for it. He barely let it show, though, but the former noticed it, like he noticed almost everything.

The display of thoughts were run over by a notification on his phone. He glanced at the screen, forgotten what he had sent in the first place.

 **Manu is nutella obsessed¿** : it was a wrong thing to say, thomas

 **Manu is nutella obsessed¿** : you shouldn't have told me that, it was rude and insensitive

Thomas couldn't believe his eyes. His best friend didn't make any sense. What he said that night wasn't rude nor insensitive, right? The fun-loving Manu, the Manu who would do everything for him, was nowhere to be found. Thomas didn't recognise this person and for a solid second he thought it was a joke. He washed away that thought instantly, however; Manu wasn't clever and cunning enough for that.

 **Thomas <3horses**: so you're bailing on your best friend just because I said the wrong thing??¿?

 **Thomas <3horses**: I thought you were my friend:(

His morning - and perhaps his entire day - had been ruined. Halloween wouldn't be any fun without his best friend. He wouldn't laugh without his best friend. He was dreading to go to that haunted house he was planning to go to with his friend now.

He had it all figured out. He would bring his friends to a 'haunted' house near the woods in their city. He would bring drinks - what would a party be without drinks? - and he would scare the crap out of them by pretending he was possessed. He had even practiced it. God, they would become so scared. Especially little Joshua. He had always seen him as a little brother, and even though he would never want to hurt him, he couldn't wait to see the look on his face. It wouldn't be any fun without Manuel, though.

 **Manu is nutella obsessed¿** : stop being so dramatic, Thomas

Thomas felt his heart sink. After all these years of fun, mischief and trust, Manu seemed to break their friendship just because Thomas made one mistake? He didn't want to seem petty anymore, so he just gave Manuel what he wanted.

 **Thomas <3horses**: Okay fine, don't go

 **Thomas <3horses**: I don't care

He lied, of course he lied. But if Manuel was being so bloody annoying, Thomas would be so too.

He turned his phone off, so he couldn't be distracted by it anymore, and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He was going to have fun tonight, with or without Manuel.

•••

The day seemed to pass like a train, quick and unwilling to stop. He tried not to think of his best friend, but every second of this day a voice in the back of his head told him that Manu was raged at him.

He began to get frustrated, sweaty and sad. He didn't want to lose him, he didn't want him to be mad. It was his fault. He wanted to cry his eyes out, but he knew that if he started, he would ever be able to stop again.

Just as the thin thread he had been holding onto began to break, his mobile phone rang. He jumped out of shock, hoping that it was Manuel, telling him that he was sorry and that he of course still wanted to be his best friend. But hope was a dangerous thing.

It was Robert, who was responsible for the ringing phone. Thomas didn't really want to talk to anyone, but was still curious what the former wanted to say.

"Hello?" he spoke. Automatically, the two words 'it's me' appeared in his mind. It was something Manuel and Thomas always did together when they called. It was annoying as hell, but the two of them were annoying, in a fun way. That was what everyone loved most about their friendship.

He had almost forgotten that he was on the phone, until Robert began to speak. "Hey, Thomas. Excited for today?" He didn't know whether he should tell Lewy the truth. He didn't know if the latter was waiting for his complaint.

Thus, he decided to lie. "Y-yeah, totally," he answered, not very convincing, but he decided to let that go.

And so did Robert apparently, he either didn't notice Thomas' lie or he knew that Thomas didn't want to talk about it. "Me too. Even though I'm quite new to your friend group, I still appreciate it that you guys have accepted me as one of your own."

Thomas smiled, the choice of words was original yet funny. It was the first time he smiled since he had received Manu's messages. "Now don't be sentimental, Lewy," he claimed with a grin.

Robert started to chuckle. "Well, even though I can't be sentimental, I'm still really thankful."

Thomas rolled his eyes and kept on smiling. "God, I didn't know you were like that," he spoke. He sat down on his couch and looked through the window, observing every movement the people there made.

"Like what?" replied Lewy.

Thomas didn't stop looking outside. His phone was cold against his ear. "Like a very nice and caring person," was his answer. It was vague, he knew that, but he couldn't quite find the right words to describe it.

He could basically hear Robert grinning through the phone. "Why, thank you," he responded. "Don't cheer too soon, however. Don't forget that people call me Satan."

Thomas nodded, even though he knew that Lewy wouldn't be able to see it. "I suppose that's your custome? You're going as Satan?" He chuckled, and so did Lewy.

"God, Thomas. What are we, nine years old?" he spoke. "You can dress up all you want, but the only thing I'll be wearing is a jacket with booze in it." It seemed as if Lewy immediately realised that what he had just said must've seemed a bit weird, but before he could respond, Thomas said the following.

"Only a jacket, huh? Not sure if our friends would be pleased." He said the words with a smirk plastered on his face.

"You know what I mean," Robert said.

"Do I, though?" Thomas had almost - almost - forgotten about Manuel. He was glad that Lewy was such a clumsy person when it came to talking, it would take Thomas' mind off of things.

Off of Manuel.

"Dude, I need to go. I'll see you tonight," Robert suddenly said, ignoring Thomas' question completely, although it was rhetorical. The smile which was on Thomas' face vanished.

"Oh, yeah okay. Uhm, see you tonight." He then hung up and let out a huge sigh, hoping that all his worries would disappear as soon as the air.

Manuel didn't answer him for the rest of the day, and Thomas knew that he had screwed up. This had never happened before. Of course, the former had gotten a bit irritated by the latter from time to time, but honestly, who hadn't? He had never been as angry as it seemed to be now, and it worried him to the core.

Before he could even realise it, hours and hours had passed, and suddenly it was almost time to meet his friends.

In the other side of the city, Erik Durm was sitting on his balcony, observing the children walking through the streets, wearing different costumes. He had seen a lot of Harry Potter's that evening, which reminded him of his childhood. He and his best friend Julian used to dress up as Harry and Ron. Erik used to be Ron, and Julian - after a long discussion about who would be the better Chosen One - was Harry. Thinking about it made his cheeks redden a bit, yet he didn't know why. Probably just because of the nostalgia.

Yeah, that was probably it.

He could feel goosebumps forming on his pale and naked arms, and a shiver ran down his spine. It was a matter of course that it was a cold evening on Halloween, the children would either love it or be scared for life. It was also raining, drops of water pouring down the entire city, and Erik knew that thunder was about to come.

He went inside and bounced when he heard a knock on the door. Thinking about Halloween made him slightly afraid in a very childish way. What if it was one of those killer clowns? What if they had a knife with them and would maim him? Or worse, what if they had kidnapped someone, like Julian, and--

He walked toward the door slowly, he wished he had a one of those holes in the door in which he could see whom was at the other side of the wood but he had been an idiot when he bought his flat. He debated whether he should even open the door, but if it was a killer clown, they would break through the door so he would be dead anyway.

He placed his hand on the clink, and pushed it downward. He pulled the door open and wanted to run away immediately. There was no reason to, however, because it was only Julian standing in front of him. He must've noticed Erik's fear, because his expression got confused and it was obvious he was worried.

"Are you okay, buddy?" he asked as he didn't move. He smiled, that heart-warming smile that warmed up Erik's heart. He couldn't be scared anymore, because Jules was with him. And Jules would protect him.

Erik smiled as well. "Yeah, Halloween only brings up some fear in me," he assured. Julian began to laugh as he got in when Erik scooched to the left.

He acted like he was at his own home, which was kind of the case since Jules was in Erik's flat a lot. They spent a lot of time together and the latter enjoyed every second of it.

Erik turned around and saw that Jules had sat down on a stool, grabbing a bottle out of the paper bag he had brought with him. The former could see from distance that the liquid inside was vodka, and he grinned.

"Already trying to get drunk, I see?" he observed. Julian winked at him and it made him feel uncomfortable.

Why on earth did he feel uncomfortable?

He didn't want to think about it anymore, but it kept haunting his mind. Endless possibilities baffling him when only one stood out.

_The discomfort is called love._

No. He was not going to accept that. He wasn't gay, nor attracted to Julian in any kind of way. He was his best friend, nothing more, nothing less. He decided that he really needed that drink.

After approximately an hour, they were buzzed more than they needed too. It was almost time to go to that mansion Thomas booked. Erik was actually looking forward to it, as this was the Thomas' favourite holiday, and knowing the latter, he would make a big deal out of it and would definitely put a lot of effort into it.

The alcohol numbed him, and not feeling anything was transcendent. He didn't want to deal with life nor what that voice in the back of his head kept telling him. He wasn't in love with Julian and he would never be in love with him. End of discussion.

"We should go to the address Thomas gave us," Julian said between unstoppable giggles caused by the vodka the two of them had been drinking. "Or he'll make Lewy destroy us with his satanic powers." They both laughed before standing up. Erik then only realised how close they stood to each other. Julian's lips looked so soft, so perfect. If he could just get a little closer...

But Julian interrupted him by beginning to talk. "I'm never letting you drink so much again, you're practically still a kid."

Erik rolled his eyes. "I'm older than you, for fuck's sake," he stated. "But let's go." He was disturbed by his own thoughts. He had wanted to kiss Julian just now. That was definitely something abnormal. It was because of the alcohol, right? Yeah, probab--definitely.

When they arrived (they went by bike because both of them were responsible enough to realise drunk-driving was dangerous) Thomas already stood there, but without Manu.

Erik leaned to Jules' ear and whispered: "I thought he would go with Manu?"

Julian nodded, "Yeah, me too. Maybe something happened?"

••••

The house was quite freaky. Erik wondered how Thomas was able to book such a house for one night. Probably because it was Halloween and the owner of this place wanted to earn some extra money, which is why it was available for rent.

Erik and Julian walked toward a very lonely-seeming Thomas, who was looking like a kid who hadn't been given what they wanted, which was exactly the latter's every-day-expression.

"Hey, Thomas," Julian greeted. "Where's Manu?" Thomas looked up and immediately looked hurt, which made Erik realise that something must've happened.

For a second, Erik thought that Thomas wasn't going to respond, but he did anyway. "He's not coming" was all he said though.

"Why?" the other two said at the same time.

"None of your business." Thomas seemed really upset about it, and Erik questioned whether this night would be as fun as he had first thought it would...

Julian and Erik shared a glance just before they saw Mats and Benni approach, hand in hand, like always. They were the only (confirmed) couple in their friend group, but everyone knew that Marco and Mario had a weakness for one another as well.

Mats smirked as he clearly noticed that Erik and Julian had been drinking (something Thomas hadn't) by the way they could barely stand on their legs.

"Are you even old enough to drink, my sweet boys?" Mats asked them, not losing the devilish smirk plastered onto his face.

Erik and Julian looked at each other and began to laugh uncontrollably. Thomas rolled his eyes and Benni looked confused, as if he had never drunk before and didn't know what the symptoms of drunkenness were.

"It would be great if everyone could shut the fuck up so I can call Lewy," Thomas suddenly chanted. Everyone obeyed immediately, not because they agreed with him, but because his sudden outburst had shocked all of them. Thomas was known for being quite childish, but he had never been angry, not like this.

Erik looked at Mats, Benni and Jules, the latter two as baffled as he was. But Mats acted as if he had experienced this before.

"Just leave him be, he'll be fine," he mouthed.

"Lewy, where are you?" Thomas spoke in a annoyed tone as he held the phone to his ear. "You, Jo and those bloody lovebirds are late. Are you coming or not?"

Erik wanted to tell Thomas to calm down, but was too afraid to do so. He didn't want the latter to be angry at him because he already had trouble dealing with his emotions due to the fucked up alcohol.

"No, you calm down!" Thomas hissed. "I didn't fucking book this place for you to be late." Then he ended the phone call with a loud groan.

Benni, Julian and mostly Erik stared at him in shock. "Are you okay?" Benni asked. To be honest, the former expected Thomas to be even angrier than before, to scream and act like he he had just received a bad grade for math or something.

But he was calm, too calm to be true. Thomas had never acted as angry as he did before, but he had also never been this calm. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He even smiled at them (it was forced of course).

Just as Benni wanted to response, Mario and Marco arrived. They were laughing together, like always, and Erik couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Just get together already.

"Hi, guys," Mario said cheerfully, but when no one responded, he realised that there was something going on. "What's wrong?" he asked.

When Erik noticed no one was going to respond (he didn't know why), he decided to do it himself. "Nothing, just waiting for Lewy and Jo. They're pretty late." He glanced at Thomas. "Aren't they, Thomas?"

Thomas ignored him, and sighed when he saw the last ones arrive. However, when he saw Lewy approach, he couldn't help but smile. There was something about the latter that calmed the former. "Took you long enough," he said.

"Sorry, man, Jo was a bit nervous," Lewy said smirking. "Where's Manu?"

And there went Thomas' smile. He didn't want to get emotional - if he had even been emotional today -, so he answered quickly. "He's not coming."

Lewy frowned. "Why not? I thought this was something special the two of you shared." But then there was another expression on his face. Realisation. He knew what was going on, when Thomas didn't.

Thomas stepped forward. "You know something, don't you?" He didn't lose his gaze at the slightly smaller man.

Lewy laughed nervously. "Thomas, this is not a crime scene," he noted.

The latter rolled his eyes. "That's not an answer. What's going on with Manu and why is he being such a weirdo? Did I do something? It's my fault, isn't it? Oh no, he doesn't want to be my friend anymore, right?"

"Thomas, calm down," Robert reassured him. "I don't know anything about what happened between you and Manu nor why he is being a 'weirdo' but I'm sure that the two of you are fine. Manu could never hate you."

Thomas wanted to protest, but gave in eventually. "Thanks."

"Welcome," the other smiled. "Now, let's get started. I think we all need a drink."

-

The house was quite old-fashioned, very Halloween-like, and Marco knew that Thomas had put a lot of thought into it. They sat in a rather large room in a circle, each of them having a smile on their faces. One, however, was not entirely genuine. Marco could see that Thomas was trying to hide the fact that he could be happy without his best friend by his side, but - truth be told - everyone knew that he couldn't. There was this weird connection between them. Let's just say that they were the best versions of themselves when they were together.

Marco had once thought that they were in love with each other, but the expression on their faces wasn't love. Or they could just hide it very well.

He was hoping that someone would notice his own crush on Mario. Yes, he was in love with him. Hopelessly, uncontrollably in love with him. He knew for sure that it wasn't mutual. For all he knew, Mario was as straight as... Lewy? Well, Lewy was straight, right? He didn't know a lot of straight people.

He had wanted to tell Mario for a very long time, but, like every other person with a crush, was too scared to do so. He had written notes, entire scripts even, of how he was going to tell him. But he had thrown them all away. He had love letters saved onto his phone, pictures of them collaged with hearts around it. He knew for sure that he was obsessed, but there was no way to stop it.

He sighed. If he had only told Mario about his feelings, things like this wouldn't have happened. He would still be sane. But Mario somehow had the ability of taking his sanity away, and Marco didn't know how to get it back.

He stared at him all night, a smile on his face from seeing Mario having a good time. He wished he was allowed to just grab his hand and kiss him on the cheek or something.

He noticed that Mario was looking at him, and the former's face reddened. Luckily, the room was so dark that Mario couldn't see it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mario said over the buzzing of people talking.

Marco's face got even redder, and he doubted  whether Mario would be able to see over it now. "Oh, nothing. Just glad you're having a good time."

Mario blushed - he blushed - and so did Marco. "Well, um, thanks, I guess," Mario said.

Marco smiled at him and then turned his attention to something else because this was making him crazy like Loco Puffs.

Thus he started a conversation with Julian, who was staring at Erik. Before Marco could tell him about it, Julian noticed Marco's gaze and looked uncomfortable. "Jules, what's going on?" Marco asked.

Jules looked up and forced a smile. "Nothing, just a bit of a headache," he said.

Marco winked, not giving the obvious lie much thought. "That's from drinking so much booze, my friend."

Julian shrugged. "I can handle it."

Marco rolled his eyes and decided that this conversation wasn't going anywhere. "Do you know why Manu isn't here? I thought Manu and Thomas were inseparable when it came to Halloween?"

"Thomas won't tell us what's going on. I didn't want to ask because I didn't want to make him upset." Then he began staring at Erik again, and Marco grinned.

"Got a little crush, Jules?" Marco teased. Julian turned at least as red as Marco had just been.

"W-what? N-No!" he said a little too loud. But Marco gave him a look that he just couldn't lie to. And so he sighed. "Please don't tell anyone."

Marco smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, my friend, I won't. In fact, I'm going to help you."

Julian furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean that I'm going to tell you what you need to say to Erik, and then you go say it and you're all lovey-dovey. The end." Marco had never been good at explaining things, and he knew it.

Julian smiled in insecurity. "That's really sweet but I think you're being a tad too optimistic," he stated.

Marco smirked. "Trust me, it's going to work."

-

Erik was talking to Mario and Benni - whom were constantly checking how much alcohol he drank (they were like his mother) - about their favourite animals. Erik didn't know why, he blamed the lame subject on the ethanol.

"No!" he said. "Dogs are definitely better than dogs." He spoke the words with swishes. He didn't even realise that what he had said made no sense.

Mario and Benni shared a glance and looked at him in a mum-way. "Enough drinks for you," Mario said as Benni took away the glass he held. Mario took the glass from the latter and walked to what appeared like a kitchen.

Erik looked dismantled. "What? No, give it back," he said. Mario came back with the same glass, with the same looking liquid inside it. Only now it wasn't vodka, it was water.

"Drink this, you need to sober up," he said. He looked to the other side of the room, where Marco was standing. He was giving him a baffled look, and Mario mouthed: "He's drunk" and the former nodded his eyes, smiling. Mario smiled as well.

Erik drank the glass fast, and handed it to Benni, wanting more. Benni clearly understood the message and walked away with the glass, only to come back in a few seconds with the same glass refilled.

"Thanks, I'm so thirsty," he hurried before drinking the entire glass in one sip again. He still sounded like someone who had his tongue ripped out, but at least he felt a tiny bit better.

On a different side of the room, Thomas was talking to Joshua and Robert about why Manu couldn't come. He had drunk enough to write a book about what he was feeling.

"So he sent me a message that he was still angry after last year," Thomas said. "And then I apologised like ten times but he didn't wanna come so I just left it like that." He moved closer to Joshua and Lewy so they would be able to hear them better, even though he was almost screaming. "So now he's not coming and honestly I'm a bit done with him."

"He might have a better reason, and that he's not telling the truth," Lewy told him.

Thomas moved even closer. "You know something, don't you? I knew you were lying! Tell me what you know!"

Lewy seemed as if he wanted to say something, but closed his mouth again. "I can't, man. That's something between the two of you."

Thomas sighed, giving in. He could've been an annoying person and keep asking about it, but he was too tired. Too tired because of the drinking, but also because deep inside he didn't want to know what the reason was. He didn't want to know why Manu suddenly hated him, because he knew that he would begin to hate himself.

He looked around, observing every single movement his friends made, the sound of conversation buzzing in his ears. He noticed that Erik was drinking water like a maniac (with Mario and Benni looking like his mother), Marco and Julian talking to each other and Mats just looking at his boyfriend with the biggest smile on his face.

Everyone looked happy, and besides the sad feeling inside his chest, he knew that it was time for his act to begin.

He closed his eyes, repeating in his head what he had practiced. First, I begin to shake. Then I put on big eyes, and lastly I scream something that sounds satanic.

And just as he wanted to begin, the lights went out. Thomas could hear a shriek coming from Joshua's way, and he wanted to comfort him. Because even though Thomas loved to prank people, he thought of Jo as his son. And no one scared his son.

"It's probably just because of the bad wiring," Mats said. Thomas couldn't see him, but he recognised his voice. "Nothing to worry about."

And just as they began to calm down, there was a sudden clap of thunder. Even Thomas got quite scared. This couldn't be a coincidence, could it? How big were the chances that the lights would go out and that there would be thunder on Halloween? Even though he really need someone (Manuel) to comfort him, he was glad that the latter wasn't here, because if something happened, at least Manu would be safe.

"I'm not the only one who's a bit scared, right?" Mario said. Thomas imagined what Mario's face must've looked like. Probably puppy-eyes, and a look toward Marco because he definitely wanted Marco to comfort him.

"Don't worry, Sunny, it's gonna be all right," Marco reassured him. Thomas almost threw up at the nickname, but it was something special they shared.

"Why can't someone find a flashlight so we can see something?" Julian spoke up. That kid actually had a point.

But then the lights went back on, very suddenly, but began to flicker. It seemed exactly like one of those horror movies, and at that moment everything seemed possible. He kind of expected a man with a chainsaw with him to walk in and brutally murder them all after sawing off their legs and arms and then slowly their heads, but the silence was what scared him most. The forced wait for what was to happen. If his life would end now, he wanted it to end quickly. He couldn't bear the tension. He couldn't bear seeing his friends be as terrified as he was.

Then he began to hear footsteps...

He saw how Mario and Marco held each other, as if the fear was the only way for them to finally confirm that they cared about each other more than they initially thought. Marco was rubbing Mario's hair whilst Mario was looking up and down in fear, so close to passing out. Marco was whispering into the other's ear, probably telling him that it would be okay. But Thomas saw the fear in Marco's eyes, Marco knew that it wasn't going to be okay.

Erik and Julian were staring at each other, as if committing their love at last. Mats and Benni sat behind Erik, trying to comfort everyone. Joshua was shaking, and Lewy out an arm around him.

Everyone was afraid of what was going to happen, but someone had to be the brave one. Someone had to tell everybody it was going to be all right and actually be convincing.

The footsteps became louder, and everyone got closer to each other, everyone started to say their goodbyes.

"Guys, don't lose hope," Thomas tried, but he couldn't do it. He wasn't made for being the brave one. He wasn't made for being the one to comfort everyone else. He couldn't do it.

The heck moved, the door slowly opened with a loud creaking. Thomas could basically feel his life end. Tension was rising more, if that was even possible, and he looked at Lewy and Joshua, the former still trying to comfort the latter.

"I'm sorry," Thomas said to no one in particular. "I'm sorry I dragged you guys down here. I'm sorry that it's my fault if you guys die. It's all my fault." His words were rapidly spoken. He knew that he had to say them, he had to apologise before all of them would meet their deaths.

Mats shook his head, still holding Benni's hand. Thomas noticed that the former wanted to say something, but there was no time. That seemed to be the problem. Everyone wanted to say their goodbyes, everyone wanted to talk more. But there was no time. No time to love, to cry, to live.

The door opened. A tall figure stood in the doorway, a mask covering his face. He had a sharp knife clutched in his hand. Everyone was dead silent as the person approached. Everyone stared at him. His steps were slow, he was walking toward Thomas. The latter didn't move a muscle, he stayed exactly where he was, gaze fixed at the figure.

"Leave them alone!" Thomas yelled. "If you want to kill someone, kill me, okay? It's my fault that they came here, it's my fault that all this happened." He sighed when the figure did not stop his walk toward him.

"I'm ready. I already lost my best friend today, the person I care most about. So if you want to take me to hell, take me to hell. I don't care anymore. Do it." The man stopped walking suddenly, and stayed still.

Thomas began to get desperate. "I said do it!"

The man dropped his knife. Why on earth did he drop his knife? It wasn't a very good idea if you wanted to kill someone.

The seconds that followed were pure torture. No one dared to move, nor to speak. Everyone stared at the man who had entered the room, and he was staring at Thomas still.

His hand moved to his mask, and he slowly removed it. A face of someone he had never expected to see, appeared. Thomas shook his head. He didn't understand what was happening. What was he doing here?

What was Manuel doing here?

"Manu?" Thomas managed to say. Manuel kept staring at him, and Thomas did the same. He didn't pay attention to the rest of the people around him. All of his focus was on his best friend.

Either Manuel wanted to actually kill him, or it was a horrible prank. Thomas hoped it was the second, even though that didn't seem like the best thing ever.

"Why did you say that?" Manuel asked him, eyes wide.

"I meant it," Thomas whispered. "My life sucks without you." It was true. What was life worth if he couldn't spend it with the one who could make him smile in every possible situation?

"So you'd just die because you thought I didn't want to be friends with you? Thomas, are you so naive? Why did you believe me?" Manuel had a look full of guilt, and Thomas felt nauseous.

"You lied?" the latter asked.

"Of course I did. I was trying to let you pay for what you did last way, but in a fun way, you know? I was kind of hoping that you'd scream like a girl and that we'd all have a good laugh." Manu broke eye contact. "Things didn't quite turn out the way I hoped."

Thomas slowly stood up and walked toward him. Before he could even think things through, he put his arms around him and took him in his embrace. He inhaled Manu's familiar scent which he had missed today and had no plans of letting go. Everything felt right. Thomas's fear of dying was gone. He felt safe in Manu's arms. For a second, he believed that everything would be okay again.

"So you weren't mad after last year?" Thomas whispered, not losing the body contact with him. Manuel stiffened, and the former felt his heart sink.

"So you are angry. Why?" Thomas pushed away from the embrace and looked at him. He could feel the eyes of everybody in the room gazing through him.

Manuel looked at the ground for a short moment, then looked up again. "It's just that... I didn't want to go to Christoph because..."

Because what? Thomas had no idea what to expect. It could go in so many ways, that he forgot about the right option.

"Because I'm in love with you."

Thomas' eyes widened, and he heard a "aaawh" coming from Mario's way, and a "ssshh" from Marco. Thomas had the urge to roll his eyes, but was too focused on the man in front of him.

His blue eyes pierced through his soul, and Thomas felt like passing out. Hearing Manu's love confession made him realise that what he felt for Manu wasn't purely friendship. He felt butterflies in his stomach, but he also felt so stupid for not realising sooner that he was in love with him. Because he was. He began to think about the things he had said and thought today.

_Halloween wouldn't be any fun without his best friend._

_I already lost my best friend today, the person I care most about. So if you want to take me to hell, take me to hell. I don't care anymore. Do it._

And now, the thought that he should've occurred to him ages ago.

_I love you, Manuel._

It was as if everything felt to place. His right hand grabbed Manuel's left one. The both of them looked at their intertwined fingers, then at each other.

Thomas moved his head closer to Manu's, he could basically taste his lips. Everything happened so fast, yet so slow. He felt every touch that they shared vividly. He saw Manu's lips coming closer to him. Thomas wasn't sure if he was ready, but when he felt Manuel's lips on his, he felt perfect. Everything around him seemed to stand still, time seemed to stand still. The only thing that mattered was the two of them.

As much as he hated breaking the best moment in his life thus far, he had to pull back to gain air. Manuel was as red as Thomas was, and the two of them smiled at each other. The latter wanted to stay like this forever, he wanted to keep drowning in the other's eyes as long as possible. But of course - how cliché - Mario began to clap.

Everyone (literally everyone) looked at him. Marco had a disapproving expression, as if wanting to tell him that the two standing in the middle of the room weren't done yet, but Thomas and Manu began to chuckle.

"I can't even describe how long I've wanted to do that," Manu whispered, putting his hand on Thomas' fiercely red cheek.

Thomas smiled at him. "I'm glad you did," he said. He put his arms around him again. The hug lasted shorter than the previous one, but neither of them cared.

Because the two of them felt perfect.

-

The week that followed happened so fast. Marco and Mario got together officially, finally. Thomas didn't know who made the first move (his money was on Marco) but he was glad that it happened. Their love-relationship was long overdue, just like Thomas' and Manu's.

He was downstairs, making breakfast for Manu while the latter was still sound asleep. When breakfast was ready, he went upstairs, finding Manuel snoring like the dog Thomas used to have.

He walked toward his boyfriend (boyfriend... It sounded so right) and placed a soft kiss on the other's head. Manu's eyes opened slowly, and he grinned when he saw that Thomas was holding a plate of eggs and bacon.

"What did I do to deserve this luxury?" he said, taking the plate from Thomas.

Thomas smiled at him. "You've waited and suffered long enough. You were kind of friendzoned, dude."

Manuel chuckled. "God, I love you."

Thomas leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead again. "I love you too," he whispered, looking into those beautiful blue eyes with pride. He was lucky to have someone like Manu.

The doorbell rang suddenly, and Thomas rolled his eyes at the ruination of the moment they were having. "I'll get it," he said and left a thankful Manu in the bedroom.

He opened the door and saw Julian standing there, soaked wet because of the rain. He looked like a puppy who had just been given a bath.

"Can I come in?" Julian asked. "I need your help."

Thomas nodded. "Of course." The former got in and sat down on the couch, his head in his hands in despair.

In the meantime, Manuel had come downstairs. First he glanced at a clearly devastated Julian and then a as puzzled as he was Thomas. "What's going on?" he asked.

Thomas opened his mouth to speak, but it was Julian who spoke first. "I'm desperate, you guys," he began, which didn't help Thomas' confusion, nor Manu's. "Seeing that Manu confessed his love to you... It made me want to confess to my crush too." He broke eye contact when he said the latter, and Thomas knew exactly whom he was talking about.

"Erik?" said Manu and Thomas at the same time.

Julian looked confused and shocked. "You know? How? Is it that obvious?" He didn't even let Thomas nor Manu respond. "Do you think Erik knows? Oh my god, if he knows, everything would be--"

"Jules, calm down," Manu interrupted. "I don't know if Erik knows, but it is kind of obvious."

Thomas rolled his eyes. "That's not helping," he acknowledged.

"Sorry," Manu said briefly.

Julian seemed even more devastated. "Can you please help me?"

Thomas sat down next to him with a smirk on his face. "What exactly do you want us to do?" he asked.

-

It was time. Julian stood in front of Erik's flat. He needed to find the courage to knock on his door, because at this moment he felt like he was about to pass out. Nerves. He felt nerves all over his body. He couldn't do this. But he had to.

Thus he knocked on his crush's door, which opened quite quickly. Erik stood there, his hair was a mess. He was wearing jeans and a plain black T-shirt. It looked beautiful on him. If only he could just--

No. He had to focus.

"Julian," Erik said with a smile, "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, as if he had been given drugs or something, courage seemed to flow within. "I need to talk to you," he said. He walked in without permission.

Erik closed the door behind him and went to the kitchen. "Okay..." he said. "Do you want something to drink?"

Julian shook his head. "Drinks can wait. This is more important." His palms were sweaty but he ignored his still present anxiety.

Erik walked toward him with a questioning look on his face. "Is everything all right?" he asked hesitantly.

Julian ignored the question and fired the three words at the former which he had been swallowing for years. "I love you."

Erik didn't respond. In fact, he stared at him for what seemed like eternity and Julian felt like he had just ruined their friendship forever. Of course Erik didn't love him.

But then Erik shook his head. Why did he shake his head?

"You idiot," he said. Furthermore he said nothing. Julian felt even more uncomfortable and perhaps even vulnerable.

"What?" Julian questioned. He truly didn't understand and didn't know whether he actually wanted to.

Erik walked toward him and before Julian could understand what was going on, the former's lips were placed onto his. The kiss didn't last very long, but the short sweet moment they were having was special, like a snowflake.

"God, I love you too. That took you long enough," Erik said, chuckling.

Julian furrowed his eyebrows. "Why didn't you tell me then if you like me as well?"

Erik shrugged. "Because I was afraid."

Julian smiled at him. "Well, you can't even imagine how afraid I was," he said. "When I stood in front of your door, I almost passed out."

Erik kissed his cheek. "It's funny how love can control all of us in a unique way."

But the former wasn't going to be content with only a kiss on the cheek. He put a peck on Erik's lips and saw how the latter blushed like crazy.

"Poor Joshua and Lewy. They're going to be the only ones without a significant other in our group," Julian said. They both laughed.

"They could always be with each other," Erik suggested, but Julian shook his head fiercely.

"Oh god no. If Thomas and Manu would find out that Joshua had a boyfriend, let alone Lewy, they would slaughter the both of them."

Erik shook his head, still smiling. "Manu and Thomas are like his dads," he said.

Julian nodded while taking Erik in one last embrace. "Indeed they are." 

**Author's Note:**

> So that was it. I hope you all have a happy Halloween (even though it doesn't exist in my country). I apologise for any mistakes, English is not my native language.


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